Certificate of Travel | |
---|---|
Type | Travel document |
Issued by | United Kingdom |
Purpose | International travel document |
Eligibility | Alien resident of United Kingdom who does not qualify for convention travel documents or stateless person's travel documents |
Expiration | Up to 5 years |
The British Certificate of Travel is an international travel document and a type of Home Office travel document issued by the UK Home Office to non-citizen residents of United Kingdom who are unable to obtain a national passport or other conventional travel documents. [1] [2] Until 17 March 2008, the Certificate of Travel was called a Certificate of Identity. [3] It is usually valid for five years, or if the holder only has temporary permission to stay in the United Kingdom, the validity will be identical to the length of stay permitted.
Hong Kong Chinese nationals without a British National (Overseas) passport and resident in the UK for many years can apply for a British Certificate of Travel valid for five years [3] since they are not stateless, yet not qualified for neither British nor Chinese passport, provided that they have originally entered the UK on a Hong Kong Certificate of Identity that has expired.
Typically, to be eligible for a Certificate of Travel, applicants must have been formally and unreasonably refused a passport by their own authorities. [4] According to the Home Office guidance, [5] applicants can apply for a certificate of travel if one of the following is true:
The current issue British Certificate of Travel are black, and the document cover is an acrylic-coated, paper-based substrate. [6]
The blue passport sports the seal of the Privy Council emblazoned in the centre of the front cover. The name of the document – "CERTIFICATE OF TRAVEL" and its french equivalent "CERTIFICAT DE VOYAGE" are inscribed below the Privy seal, and the name of the issuing government is inscribed above (i.e., "UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND"). The biometric passport symbol appears at the bottom of the front cover.
British Certificate of Travel contain on their inside cover the following words in English: [7]
The holder is authorised to return to the United Kingdom without a visa within the validity of this document.
Since the validity of British Certificate of Travel will be identical to the length of stay permitted (their 'leave to remain'), this remark is placed in lieu of the British visa which guarantees the immigration officers at the third country that the document holder will be allowed to travel back to UK and wouldn't become stranded once admitted. [8]
British Certificate of Travel issued by HM Passport Office include the following data on the information page:
The items are identified by text in English and French (e.g., "Date of birth/Date de naissance").
British Certificate of Travel is issued with printed endorsements on the Official Observations page, in upper case (capital letters). They form part of the passport when it is issued, as distinct from immigration stamps subsequently entered in the visa pages. Observations page contains biometric chip and antenna; any printed observations will be within the antenna area. [6]
Some examples are: [9] [10] [6]
As of 15 April 2022, most European countries accept British Certificate of Travel as a valid travel document, with the following countries imposing limited conditions: [11]
A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that contains a person's identity. A person with a passport can travel to and from foreign countries more easily and access consular assistance. A passport certifies the personal identity and nationality of its holder. It is typical for passports to contain the full name, photograph, place and date of birth, signature, and the expiration date of the passport. While passports are typically issued by national governments, certain subnational governments are authorised to issue passports to citizens residing within their borders.
A visa is a conditional authorization granted by a polity to a foreigner that allows them to enter, remain within, or leave its territory. Visas typically include limits on the duration of the foreigner's stay, areas within the country they may enter, the dates they may enter, the number of permitted visits, or if the individual can work in the country in question. Visas are associated with the request for permission to enter a territory and thus are, in most countries, distinct from actual formal permission for an alien to enter and remain in the country. In each instance, a visa is subject to entry permission by an immigration official at the time of actual entry and can be revoked at any time. Visa evidence most commonly takes the form of a sticker endorsed in the applicant's passport or other travel document but may also exist electronically. Some countries no longer issue physical visa evidence, instead recording details only in immigration databases.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China passport is a passport issued only to permanent residents of Hong Kong who also hold Chinese citizenship. In accordance with the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, since the transfer of sovereignty on 1 July 1997, the passport has been issued by the Immigration Department of the Government of Hong Kong under the authorisation of the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China. As the official languages of Hong Kong are Chinese and English, the passport is printed bilingually in both Chinese and English.
A British passport is a travel document issued by the United Kingdom or other British dependencies and territories to individuals holding any form of British nationality. It grants the bearer international passage in accordance with visa requirements and serves as proof of citizenship. It also facilitates access to consular assistance from British embassies around the world. Passports are issued using royal prerogative, which is exercised by His Majesty's Government; this means that the grant of a passport is a privilege, not a right, and may be withdrawn in some circumstances. British citizen passports have been issued in the UK by His Majesty's Passport Office, an agency of the Home Office, since 2014. All passports issued in the UK since 2006 have been biometric.
The Israeli passport is a passport issued to Israeli citizens to enable them to travel outside Israel, and entitles the bearer to the protection of Israel's consular officials overseas. Israeli citizens have visa-free or visa on arrival access to 163 countries and territories.
A travel document is an identity document issued by a government or international entity pursuant to international agreements to enable individuals to clear border control measures. Travel documents usually assure other governments that the bearer may return to the issuing country, and are often issued in booklet form to allow other governments to place visas as well as entry and exit stamps into them.
The Singapore passport is a travel document and passport issued to citizens and nationals of the Republic of Singapore. It enables the bearer to exit and re-enter Singapore freely, travel to and from other countries in accordance with visa requirements, facilitates the process of securing assistance from Singapore consular officials abroad, if necessary, and requests protection for the bearer while abroad.
The Montenegrin passport is the primary document for international travel issued by Montenegro.
A German passport is an identity document issued to nationals of Germany for the purpose of international travel. A German passport is, besides the German ID card and the German Emergency Travel Document, the only other officially recognised document that German authorities will routinely accept as proof of identity from German citizens. Besides serving as proof of identity and presumption of German nationality, they facilitate the process of securing assistance from German consular officials abroad. German passports are valid for ten years or six years and share the standardised layout and burgundy red design with other EU passports. Every German citizen is also a citizen of the European Union. The passport, along with the national identity card, allows for free rights of movement and residence in any of the states of the European Union, European Economic Area and Switzerland.
An Estonian passport is an international travel document issued to citizens of Estonia, and may also serve as proof of Estonian citizenship. Besides enabling the bearer to travel internationally and serving as indication of Estonian citizenship, the passport facilitates the process of securing assistance from Estonian consular officials abroad or other European Union member states in case an Estonian consular is absent, if needed. If an Estonian citizen wishes to receive an identity document, especially an Estonian passport, somewhere other than the foreign representation of the Republic of Estonia, then the bearer of the Estonian citizenship staying abroad could receive the travel documents in embassies of any EU country worldwide by paying 50 Euro. Many countries require passport validity of no less than 6 months and one or two blank pages.
Vietnamese passports are issued to citizens of Vietnam to facilitate international travel. They enable the bearer to exit and re-enter Vietnam freely; to travel to and from other countries in accordance with visa requirements, and secure assistance from Vietnamese consular officials when abroad, if necessary.
The Brazilian passport is the official document for foreign travel issued by the federal government, through the Federal Police.
The passport of the Republic of Lebanon is a passport issued to the citizens of the Republic of Lebanon to enable them to travel outside the Republic of Lebanon and entitles the bearer to the protection from the diplomatic missions and consulates of the Republic of Lebanon if necessary. It is issued exclusively by the Lebanese Directorate General of General Security (DGGS), and can also be issued at various Lebanese diplomatic missions and/or consulates outside the Republic of Lebanon. It allows the bearer a freedom of living in the Republic of Lebanon without any immigration requirements, participate in the Lebanese political system, entry to and exit from the Republic of Lebanon through any port, travel to and from other countries in accordance with visa requirements, facilitates the process of securing consular assistance abroad from the diplomatic missions and consulates of the Republic of Lebanon if necessary, and requests protection for the bearer while abroad.
An Estonian temporary travel document is a travel document issued to an alien staying in Estonia for departure from and return to Estonia. A temporary travel document may be issued, without a standard application, to an alien who departs or is obliged to depart from Estonia without the right of return if he or she does not hold a valid travel document or a certificate of return issued by a foreign state. A temporary travel document for a single departure from and return to Estonia may be issued to an alien legally residing in Estonia if he or she does not hold a valid travel document and does not have the right to receive an alien’s passport. A temporary travel document does not grant the holder thereof the right to protection by a foreign mission of Estonia unless otherwise provided by law or a treaty. A temporary travel document shall be issued with a period of validity of up to two years.
The visa policy of Canada requires that any foreign national wishing to enter Canada must obtain a temporary resident visa from one of the Canadian diplomatic missions unless they hold a passport issued by one of the 54 eligible visa exempt countries and territories or proof of permanent residence in the United States.
The Home Office travel document is an international travel document issued by the UK Border Agency to an alien resident of United Kingdom who is unable to obtain a national passport. It is usually valid for five years, or if the holder only has temporary permission to stay in the United Kingdom, the validity will be identical to the length of stay permitted.
The Canadian Certificate of Identity is an international travel document issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to a permanent resident of Canada who is not yet a Canadian citizen, is stateless, or is otherwise unable to obtain a national passport or travel document. It is a biometric document with a grey cover and is bilingual in both English and French. The validity period of the travel document is determined by the issuing office.
The British National (Overseas) passport, commonly referred to as the BN(O) passport, is a British passport for persons with British National (Overseas) citizenship. BN(O) citizenship was created in 1987 after the enactment of Hong Kong Act 1985. BN(O) citizens are permanent residents of Hong Kong who were British Overseas Territories citizens until 30 June 1997, and chose to remain British by registering for BN(O) citizenship when Hong Kong was a British overseas territory.
Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) is a form of permanent residency available to people of Indian origin and their spouses which allows them to live and work in India indefinitely. It allows the cardholders a lifetime entry to the country along with benefits such as being able to own land and make other investments in the country.
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